Method of attaching price tags



April 1950- G. CUNNINGHAM 2,503,902

METHOD OF ATTACHING PRICE TAGS Filed May 12, 1945 4 Sheets-Sheet 1 INVENTOR ATTORNEYS Ap 1950 G. CUNNINGHAM 2,503,902

METHOD OF ATTACHING PRICE mes Filed May 12, 1945 4 Sheets-Sheet 2 72 v iNVENTOR mm BY ATTORNEYS April 11, 1950 CUNNINGHAM 2,503,902

METHOD OF ATTACHING PRICE TAGS 4 Sheec-Sheet .3

Filed May 12, 1945 INVENTOR ATTORNEYJ April 11, 1950 5. CUNNINGHAM METHOD OF ATTACHING PRICE TAGS 4 Sheets-Sheet 4 Filed May 12, 1945 INVENTOR BY wfl xmm kvw ATTORNEYS Patented Apr. 11, 1950' METHOD OF ATTACHING PRICE TAGS Gordon Cunningham East Rutherford, N. J as-- signor to A. Kimball Company, New-York, N. Y., a corporation of New York Application May 12, 1945, Serial No. 593,513

4 Claims.

This invention relates to methods for pinning price tags to merchandise.

It has long been common practice to attach pricetags to merchandise by means of ordinary straight household pins which are headed at one end and pointed at the other. In using such pins for attaching price tags, it was. once the practice to apply them by hand, but so-called pin-on machines were subsequently devised to automatically insert such pins through the tag and merchandise. However, such pins are relatively expensive, and their pointed ends are a source of danger both to the merchandise and to persons handling the same.

According to the present invention, a continuous. strand of pin stock, such as wire or plastic monofil or the like is utilized as a source of supply of pins, a free end of the pin stock being inserted through the tag and merchandise and then being cut-off to provide a pin of the desired length. In order to avoid the danger of pointed ends in such pins, they are preferably cut-off square, i. e. at right angles to the strand, thus roviding blunt ends.

One feature of the invention relates to a method for inserting such blunt-ended pin stock through the tag and merchandise without risk of tearing or damaging the merchandise during the process of insertion. For this purpose the free end of the stock is housed in a hollow needle, and the needle is provided with a sharp point that pierces the merchandise without damage. The pin stock advances through the goods while enclosed within the needle, and then the needle is withdrawn while the stock is held against rearward movement and remains extending through the tag and the merchandise.

In the preferred procedure of the invention the'tag is bowed and the merchandise arched up against the tag so that a needle advanced along a straight line can intersect the tag and merchandise at two points along the length of the bowed tag. This effect can be obtained by pressing the tag down at spaced points or holding it against a concave surface so as to cause the tag to bend. 7

One of the advantages of the bowed tag is that the resilience of the tag tends to restore it to a flattened condition after the bending force is removed and this sets up pressure against the pin and provides friction for holding the pin in place.

Other objects, features and advantages of the invention will appear or be pointed out as the specification proceeds.

rigid. portion [2 (Figure 4) and'puts his fingers In the'drawing, forming apart hereof, in which like reference characters indicate corresponding parts in all the views,

Figure 1 is a top plan viewof tag attaching apparatus for-attaching tags to merchandise in accordance with the method-of this invention.

Figure 2 is a bottom plan view of the apparatus shown in Figure 1.

Figure 3 is a detail sectional view taken'on the line 3-3 of Figure 2.

Figure 4 is a side elevation of the'apparatus shown in Figures 1 and 2.

Figure 5 is an enlarged fragmentary viewof a portion of the structure shown in Figure 1' and illustrating'the way infwhich a tag is pinned to merchandise by this invention.

Figure 6 is a sectional view on the line 6+6 of Figure 5.

Figure 7 is a sectional view taken along the frame ID with a handle I l at one'end for placing the apparatus in position on merchandise to which a tag is to be connected, and for lifting the apparatus off the merchandise after the'tag has been attached. The handle ll includes an upper rigid portion 12 (Figure 4) and a lower grip portion l3 that is connected with the frame bya pivot [4.

A link It is connected at its upper end to the rigid portion It by a pivot H. The lowerend of the link' I6 is connected by a pivot l8 to a connecting rod 20 made up of two sections, one of which is threaded into the other and held" in any desired adjusted position by a lock nut 21. This construction makes the connecting rod 20 adjustable in length.

The link It is confined laterally by lugs 23 that extend up from the grip portion 113, and there is a bolt 25 extending between the lugs 23 and through a slot 26 in the "link I6. The'upper end of the connecting rod 20 connects'with a crankpin 28 of a crank 29 connected to a shaft 30.

Referring again to Figure 1, the shaft 30 has its opposite ends supported in bearing blocks 3! attached to opposite sides of the frame i0. There are collars 33 on the shaft 30 for preventing endwise displacement of the. shaft.

An operator places his hand on the top of the through the loop of the grip'portion 13. In order to operate the apparatus he closes his hand'to squeeze the grip portion l3 upward toward the fixed portion i2 of the handle. An abutment 35, extending from the upper side of the link 18, strikes against the fixed portion l2 to limit the movement of the grip portion l3 toward the upper fixed portion l2 of the handle.

Upward movement of the grip portion [3 shifts the connecting rod 20 and moves the crank 29 into the dotted line position indicated in Figure 4. This movement rotates the shaft 30 through an angle of somewhat less than 90 degrees in the construction illustrated in the drawing. At one end of the shaft 38 there is a crank arm 3'! (Figure 1) which is pinned or otherwise secured to the shaft. This crank arm 3! is connected by a link 38 with one end of a bell crank 40 which is angularly movable about a screw 4!. This screw extends up from an extension 42 that forms a rigid part of the frame Ill. The bell crank G is urged into a retracted position by a spring 44 tensioned betweena pin 45 on the bell crank and an anchor 46 on the frame extension 42.

When the crank arm 3! is operated to pull the link 38, the bell crank 40 is rocked in a counterclockwise direction about the screw A roller 50in a stud extends up into a slot 52 in the bell crank 40. The stud Si is rigidly connected with a slide 54 that moves in guides in the extension 42 of the frame. counterclockwise movement ofthe bell crank 40 around the screw 4| causes the roller 59 and stud 5| to be shifted to the left in Figure 1 and moves the slide 54 in its guide 55, best shown in Figure 3. The under side of the slide 54 is shown in Figure 2. At the forward end of the slide there is a socket 56 in which is held a hypodermic needle 5'! by means of a set screw 58. A wire or thread 60 is led across the bottom of the slide 54 and into the hypodermic needle 51. The slide 54 includes a clutch for causing the wire or thread 60 to move to the right with the needle after the slide 54 has advanced a short distance but the clutch is so constructed that it releases automatically when the slide 54 retracts, that is, moves toward the left in Figure 2.

This wire clutch includes an anvil 62 and a pawl 63 which rotates about a pin 64 to jam the wire 60 against the anvil 62. A light coil spring ,65 urges the pawl 63 toward the anvil, but this spring 65 is not strong enough to cause excessive friction of the pawl 63 against the wire during the rearward stroke of the slide 54. This clutch -for gripping the wire or pin stock requires some movement of the slide 54 before gripping the wire. This movement is sufiicient to move the needle over the exposed end of the wire that was left extending beyond the point of the needle after the previous cutting of the wire.

In order to limit retrograde or rearward movement of the wire or thread 60, there is another clutch connected with the underside of the frame extension 42. This clutch includes a fixed anvil .66 and a pawl 61 that moves about a pin 68 to jam the wire 60 against the anvil 66 whenever the wire begins to move rearwardly, that is, toward the left in Figure 2. A light spring 69 urges the pawl 61 against the wire 60. The needle has some forward and some rearward movement before the clutch pawls 63 and 5'! move far enough to stop movement of the wire 60 with the needle.

The wire or thread 60 is supplied from a spool ll supported on an axle 12 (Figure 1) extending between spaced supports 13 on top of the frame extension 42.

The price tags may be carried in a magazine mounted on the frame In, or the apparatus can be used for attaching tags that are individually placed in position on the merchandise to which they are to be connected. The apparatus illustrated in the drawing has a magazine comprising two bars 15 supported by blocks 16 at their forward ends. The rearward ends of the bars 15 rest on the frame In. A supporting screw 18 threads through the blocks 16 and has end portions of circular section that rotate in bearings 79 attached to the frame HI. There is a slot 80 in the more accessible end of the supporting screw 18 for turning this screw I8 to adjust the distance between the bars 15. One of the blocks 16 contains right-hand threads and the other left-hand threads so that these blocks move closer together or further apart when the screw 78 is rotated in one direction or the other. The purpose of this adjustment is to change the width of the magazine to accommodate tags of diiierent,

size.

There are angles 82 extending upward from each of the bars 15 immediately behind the blocks 18, and these angles form the corner for the forward end of the magazine.

There are other angles 83 extending upward from clamps 84 that are slidable along slots 85 in the bars 15. Each of these clamps 83 has a screw 86 (Figure 2) for holding it in adjusted position along the length of the bar 15 to which it is attached by the screw 86. The angles 83 form the rearward corners of the tag magazine, and their adjustment lengthwise of the bars 15 permits adjustment of the magazine to accommodate tags of different length.

The bars 15 are spaced to provide access to the bottom tag of a stack of tags located in the magazine, and the front wall of each of the angles 82 terminate a little above the surface of the bar I5 on which the bottom of the stack of tags rests so as to leave a slot 81 wide enough for the bottom tag of the stack to pass through so that it can be fed forward to advance its end beyond the front of the magazine and into position for cooperation with the needle. The tag may be fed forward by any suitable automatic feeding mechanism or by manual manipulation by the operator of the apparatus.

The forward portions of the bars 15 carry guides for bending the bottom tag as it is moved out from the magazine. These guides have curved bottoms 88 (Figures 6 and '7) that not only bend the tag 85 to a bowed shape, but also comprise the section of the apparatus by which it is supported when rested on merchandise to which a tag is to be attached. The curved surfaces 88 press down the merchandise 9|] at both sides of the tag so that there is an arched-up portion of the merchandise directly under the tag in position to be intersected by the needle 51. The guides for the tag also include flared entrances 92 for guiding the front end of the tag into the guides.

The tag 89 may be pierced by the needle but preferably has prepunched holes 94 through which the needle 51 passes. The use'of prepunched holes has the important advantage that the same hollow needle can be used over and over again without having its point dulled. The needle pierces the cloth merchandise 9!] easily, but the point is worn rather rapidly if it is re? quired to also pierce tags constructed of stiff paper board.

Figures 5 and 7 show the needle 51 in its extreme forward position thatcarries the wire or 5 thread fillthrough both of the openings 94in the tag.,89, and through the merchandise 90 at two spacedlocations adjacent the openings. the needle S'Lmoves back towardthe" left the wire 60 travels withiit until the end of thewire is back from the sideedge of the tag 89 and by this time theretrograde movement of thewire 601s sumcientto causetheclutch to jam and prevent further rearward movement of the wire; The needle continuesto move leaving. the wire in the. tagwith end, in .theupositionrshown in Figure, 8.

As the slide which supportsthe needle'lil travels to the limit of its rearward movement, the pointed end of the needle 5] moves back to thejdotted line position indicatedin Figure 7. This is, some-. what beyond a face plate, 96 throughwhich the wirev and needlepass, and a shear blade 91 that operates across the openingin the faceplate96 to shear the wire at a point slightly inward from the side edge of thetag. Thus both ends of the wire fastening or pin which holds the tag 99 to the merchandise 90 are. within thearea of the tagaand therefore less likely to catch on other merchandise whenthe tagged articles are being handled. Figure 8 shows-the tag 89 attached to the merchandise 90 after the wire has been sheared off and the resilience of the tag has drawn out of the guides and has moved as far back as possible toward ,-a flat condition.

The resilience of the tag tends to flattenit out as soon as it is removed from the influence of the side guides, but the wire or pin fastening prevents the tag from flattening completely. The tendency of the tag. to flatten, however,- sets up sufficient friction between the tag and the sides of the wire fastening to hold the fastening in place even though'the fasteningpasses-r through large holes in the tag.

The positions of the face plate 96 andshear blade 9'! with respect to the rest of the mechanism is shown in Figure 2, The face plate 96 supports a guide 99 throughwhich the needle 51 passes. This guide 99 is long enough so that the point of the needle remains in the'guide when the needle is at the rearward endof its stroke.-=-

The face plate 96 extendsdownward-froma bracket I that is connected to the frame by screws IOI (Figure 1) extending through slots I02 in the bracket I00, or with. other provision that permits adjustment of the bracket I00 in the direction of movement of the needle, The purpose of this adjustment is to regulate the The stud H2 movesalongamarcuate path. as the plunger I'I0 operates the shear bla'de. The shoulder I I I moves along a straight line, and after the shear blade-"9'! hasrocked -some distance beyond the position *at which' -it cuts the wire; the stud I-I2 moves downward'across the face. of the shoulder III andbeyond the lower end. of the shoulderflso 'that theshear blade 91 is released from the plunger H0 and is free ,to move back to its"starting-position against the stop 'I 05'.

The'Yplunger-IIO is operated by "a compression spring I I4 which surrounds tin-intermediate portionof the plunger II0. A bracket H6 is secured to and 'formsa part' of the frame I0. This bracket has twoextensicns II'I through which the plunger IIO passes ahdfiyhwhidh the plunger is supported: The .bearingsE'fOr "the plunger, H0 in the extensions II I 'are'vsomewhat larger than the diameterof theplunger' IIO. This gives. the plungera limited vertical movement. A spring H8 urges the right-hand endof the plunger downward so that the shoutder ,iiI, will engage behind the stud H2- when the plunger is retracted; "The'plunger extends some distance beyond the shoulder .It'Il so that even in its most retracted position,1the end of the. plungercannot drop below. the stud 'I.I2"."

Nea'rits rearward end the'plunger H0; has'a notch I in its upper surface, and there is a plate I 2I just behind the exten'sion ll'l "with anedge that providesa shouldcribehindiwhich the notch I20 latches'when thdpluriger l I0 is pulled rearwardlyagainst thefforce of the compression spring I; Thi's'JSpring'II' l' is confined between the rearward extension HT and acollar I22 that is secured to thep'lunger H0" by a set screw. A loosesleeve'. I25 surrounds the portion point at which the wire is sheared for tags of different width.

The shear blade 91 is supported by a pivot I 03 connected to the face plate 96. A coil spring I04 urges the shear blade back against a stop I05, best shown in Figure 4. This stop is attached to the bracket I00.

At the lower end of the shear blade 91 there is a shearing surface I01 positioned just beyond the opening I08 through which the needle and wire pass through the face plate 96. Movement of the shear blade 91 about its pivot I03 causes the shearing surface I01 to shear the wire at the end of the opening I08.

The shear-operating mechanism includes a plunger IIO which has a shoulder III in position to contact with a stud II2 that extends from one side of the shear blade 91. When the shoulder III is up against the stud H2, and the plunger I I0 moves toward the left in Figure 4, the shear blade 91 is rocked in a counterclockwise direction and operates to shear the wire.

of the plunger just ahead of the'rearward *extension II! to prevent the notch I20 from'catching in the convolutio-ns of the spring I I4 when the plunger l I Ilmoves forward:

The structure for pulling the plunger I l 0' rearwardly includes a link I23"thatis connected to the rearward end of thei'plunger I I0 by a; pivot "I24. This link I23 is connected with a crank arm I26 by a pin iI2l'which extends-through a slot I28 in the link I23.""The' purpose of this slot is to permit the pin- I-2lto move forward, that is; toward the'plunger I I0; While the plunger remains in its retracted position with thenotch I20 engaging the edge of the plate- I2I.

The crank arm-I26"is pinned, or otherwise rigidly connected to the'shaft 30, and extends above the shaft 30 for the purposeof operating I31 compressed between the lower branch of they yoke I35 and a pin extending from the side of the release element.

A stud I39 on one side of the bell crank I3I depresses the release element I34 when the bell.

7 ment I34 and push the rearward end of the plunger III] down far enough to disengage the notch I from the edge of the plate I21. When the notch I20 is thus released, the plunger III! is thrust forward quickly by the energy in the compressed spring H4 and operates the shear plate 91 to cut-01f the wire.

Thelink I is not connected to the crank arm I26, but merely extends around behind the crank arm, as shown clearly in Figure 1. A supporting bracket I42 is attached to the frame 110 by a screw I43 and provides a bearing for the rearward end of the link I311. The forward end of the link I30 is bent inward and extends through the upper end of the bell crank I3 I. to provide a pivot connection I44 between the link 5130 and bell crank I3I.

- Although the invention has been described with wire for attaching the tags to merchandise, other material can be used, such as plastic monofll, preferably nylon. The only requirement for the wire or other stock that is to be sheared off to form a pin for holding the tag on the merchandise is that the stock be sufficiently stifi for the purpose, and that it be a material which can be sheared to leave a substantially clean-cut end.

The preferred embodiment of the invention has been described, but various modifications can be made and some features can be used without others without departing from the invention as defined in the claims.

I claim as my invention: 1. The method of pinning a tag to merchandise. which method comprises holding the tag against the merchandise, bending the tag and -merchandise and while bent passing a hollow drawing .the needle while the pin stock is thus held against retrograde movement to leave a substantial length of the end portion of the pin stock exposed, cutting off the exposed stock, at

a point intermediate an edge of the tag nearest the needle and the first region of intersection of the tag by the needle, to make a pin.

2. The method of pinning a tag to merchandise, which method comprises holding the tag against the merchandise with the tag and merchandise bent, moving a hollow pointed needle forward and backward along a straight line that intersects the tag =and merchandise at two regions along the bend in said tag and merchandise, enclosing an end portion of an unpolnted pin stock within the needle, moving the stock forward with the, needle during the forward movement of the needle, preventing retrograde movement of the pin stock by holding it at a. region back of the needle, during backward movement of the needle'so that the end portion of the stock is left extending through the tag and merchandise when the needle is withdrawn, and then cutting off the stock at a location between an edge of the tag and the first intersection of the tag by said pin stock.

3. The tag pinning method that comprises passing a hollow pointed needle in one direction through a tag and through merchandise pressed against the tag, at a region of contact, and through said merchandise and tag from the opposite direction at another region of contact of the tag and merchandise, advancing a supply of unpointed pin stock through the tag and merchandise with the end portion of said stock enclosed within the needle, preventing retrograde movement of the pin stock by holding it at a region of the needle and withdrawing the needle while thus holding the pin stock with its end portion intersecting the tag and merchandise in position to fasten the tag to the merchandise, and then cutting off said end portion from the supply of pin stock behind it.

4. The method of pinning tags to merchandise, which method comprises intersecting the tag and adjacent merchandise at two spaced points with an end of a hollow pointed needle that encloses fastening means and that pierces the merchandise to provide openings for the fastening means, preventing retrograde movement of the fastening means by holding it at a region back of the needle, and while the pin stock is thus held against retrograde movement withdrawing the needle and leaving the fastening means in position to secure the tag to the merchandise.

- GORDON CUNNINGHAM.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Name Date Richardson Jan, 4, 1881 Fuller May 21, 1901 Haywood Dec. 21, 1909 Plass July 21, 1931 Flood Apr. 10, 1934 Flood May 31, 1938 Number 

